Alone in an Apocalypse
by RowanReale
Summary: Zoey is alone, after the death of all of her friends and the hope of rescue ripped from her grasp she finds herself fighting to survive. To Survive the apocalypse and herself. An unlikely character enters her life. Will it cause her death or her salvation
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own L4D. If I did they would act more like Zombies, yet in the case that running infected are much more frightful I'll stick with the Zombies from L4D. Review please :D**

Streets abandoned to the world,

Shattered buildings left unfurled,

Empty rooms where kids used to lay,

Now only silence comes out to play.

"Francis! Run!" Distant voices yelled out through a sea of flailing arms. Shots fired though the screams trying to put down the lifeless moans that haunted the air. "RUN!" Slowly the sound began to fade, falling away from the trio as they climbed up the ladder.

"Get outa here!" Francis shouted from across the street. "Just leave, I'll distract them!"

"NO!" One wailed, gripping onto the ladder with her arm and shooting frantically with the other. "We are not leaving you Francis! We can get to you…Bill please!"

"Dammit Zoey." Bill looked up at her trying to force her up the ladder.

"No." She began, tears clouding her vision. Still she shot even after her bullets were exhausted. "Francis no."

Suddenly the shooting all stopped. Silence fell over everything as if an oncoming storm was about to hit. A beeping was heard and all the sound rushed back into life, an explosion of fire and limbs leaked out from the center where Francis once stood. Dozens of infected killed by one small action.

"FRANCIS!" Zoey's world stopped.

Lifeless beings wandering aimlessly,

Searching for what they lost so painfully,

Forgotten souls to wander the Earth,

No more flesh to feed their worth.

"Everyone stay quite." Bill led the pack quietly through the empty warehouse. Boxes were stacked on towering racks that reached from one side to another. Zoey walked gingerly next to Bill her SMG held close to her chest. She cautiously and continuously wrenched her head in all directions searching for the first sign of danger. The tallest of the three followed behind them looking above them at all the places certain infected could hide.

It had been quite for much to long as they made their way through the office building. It caused them to be more on edge than normal, not only did they have to worry about the smallest of sounds but their imaginations that could create them. Bill swiftly put his fist up signaling for the group to stop. They listened closely in the silence straining to hear the threat of the infected.

The floor began to shake and the walls began to crumble. Boxes from the higher shelves fell, and the light fixtures began to sway. The worst type of infected was coming straight for them, and they all knew it.  
>"TANK!" Zoey shouted as it burst through the door in front of them. The trio opened fire on the tank as they ran backwards to distance themselves from him. It charged after them bulldozing through everything in its path causing the towering warehouse cages to topple onto one another. The sound and action shook the room and caused the three survivors to fall. Far away they could hear the excited screams of the more common infected heading to their location. The tank continued to charge, nothing seemed to stop his quest to kill them.<p>

"GET UP!" Bill shouted, already on his feet and pulling the other two along. He finally got the others standing and shooting again. The tanks body was riddled with bullet holes yet no blood poured from its wounds. "DIE ALREADY!" Bill spat at the charging enemy, and it listened. A groan rumbled through its tiny mouth, falling to its knee's its body gave way dying not five feet from the wall they had all back up into.

With heavy breathing and sighs of relief from the whole group they recovered themselves, only in time to hear the screams of the other infected swarming like spiders to their location.

"RUN AND SHOOT!" Shouted the tallest of the three. They charged past the fallen tank and through the door it had come from.

"Louis throw your pipe bomb!" Zoey commanded as she fired at the heads of straggling zombies. The beeping sound was heard confirming her command; it faded slowly as it flew over the heads of hungry enemies. The mob turned and followed the sound giving the group a safer passage through the alleyway. "Keep running!"

They made their way out of the alleyway and into a street filled with wandering infected. Screaming from behind them caught the attention of the ones in front, they were surrounded and there was no way out.

Small groups unite from disgrace,

Only the strong can survive this place,

Where once there were millions,

Now left are these lonely civilians.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own L4D, if I did again they would act like real zombies, in a real apocalypse. Although I do not own it I can elaborate on it for this is my story. If you don't like it because it's not completely accurate. Im proud of it so ha! :D**

"Well that was closer than my comfort levels would have wished." Louis panted as he placed the last object in front of the safe room door. They had nearly escaped the horde of zombies that littered the street; only through sheer luck did they make it all the way to the safe room. Yet not all of them made it the first time. Louis had gotten snagged by a smoker and was pulled from the safety of the safe room and was nearly eaten alive by the small number of infected that followed them below ground. "You seriously saved my ass out there Zoey." He said putting his hand on her shoulder. She was sitting on the top of the couch that was placed in the middle of the safe room. She allowed herself to fall backwards and sit upside down on the couch, her feet hanging where a head should be. Bill looked through the barren cabinets searching for some presence of food, his search was not proving very rewarding. Louis leaned against the opposite wall with his arms folded behind his head, eyes closed trying to rest for the short minutes he could.

The safe room wasn't as bad as most they had been in. At least this one contained a mattress, a soiled mattress but nevertheless. A small coffee table was placed next to it and the couch sat on the other side. There was a small kitchen, if one could call it that for it contained no fridge or stove just an assortment of cabinets with little to no food. It even had a bathroom although one could only imagine the state of it sense there was definitely no running water or plumbing. The walls were littered with messages of long past residences.

"Billy," one began. "Headed to the hospital, Dad says the army is there. God be with you."

"The End is here! No one will save you!" another wrote, "Thanks ass." Someone jotted after it. The messages never brought any of them comfort, only sadness for anyone of the messages written could have been someone they killed along the way. It was only a matter of time before they wrote their own story upon the walls.

"Hey Louis" Zoey spoke softly as she looked up at the Celine.

"Ya." He responded, eyes still closed. Bill shoved an empty canister to the ground frustrated that it contained nothing.

"Do you think zombies like dark meat or white meat?" she said.

"Uh, I don't know. Why you ask?" His eyes now open and looking at Zoey curiously.

"Because they seem to always go after you."

Louis's eyes widened and he looked dumbfounded as to what to say. Bill covered his mouth and tried to stifle back a snicker.

"Why you…" Louis said running over to Zoey and tried to pull her off the couch. They all laughed as Louis fought with Zoey for control. Laughter seemed hard to come buy these days and it filled them easily as if they had never experienced the feeling before. Although right as it began it ended all too soon. Louis was now on top of Zoey holding her down trying to tickle the piss out of her, and that's when she saw it. His left arm was swollen and oozing with a strange liquid. She struggled to get free from under him but he only took it in a playful movement and laughed at her feeble attempt to be free.

"Louis! Get off me!" She yelped, startling him and allowing herself to push him away. She scrambled out from underneath him and backed up to where Bill was standing.

"What was that for? I thought we were just messing around." He looked confused as to why she stared at him that way. Her face looked scared and sad; her eyes began to water as she looked at Bill as if to say something without words. "What's wrong Zoey?"

"You...You've, been bitten." A single tear fell off her face as she looked at his arm. He pulled back his sleeve and his heart sank. She was right, he had been bitten. He only had a few hours before the change started to take its hold. He was going to turn into one of those…those things.

"I am not turning into one of those." Louis said trying to cover his fear with bravery. "I won't allow myself to do it; you know what you have to do."

"Louis…please." Zoey shook her head, it was only a bad dream, she couldn't lose another friend. Not again, not so soon. She walked closer to him and he backed away from her. "Bill we just can't kill him."

"You know there is no other way." Louis spoke so Bill didn't have to. There was no hope for someone who got bitten. No one was immune to it, once it was in your blood stream it would take hold and that person would be a brainless hunger driven killer.

"No I will not lose another one of you. We just lost Francis and…and I just," he words became more difficult to say the more she spoke. Zoey began to shed silent tears as Bill reached for his gun.

"Bill will you do it. I don't want Zoey to go through that." Bill nodded in response, struggling to hold his composure. He knew it was the only way, Louis wouldn't be the same in a few hours.

Zoey ran to Louis wrapping her arms around him, she squeezed tightly onto his thin frame knowing that this would be the last time she would ever feel him warm. He wrapped his right hand around her and gently rubbed her back. He didn't dare let his infected bite get near her; he didn't want to chance getting her sick too. Louis laid his head onto hers and unconsciously began to clean her oiled hair with his tears. He knew they would never see each other again and he feared letting her go, no longer could he watch her and keep her safe, or see her gentle smile when they cracked that rare joke. She would be the thing he missed most about this world.

"Zoey." He whispered into her ear. She shook her head into his chest trying to force him to be quite, distancing the fact that it would be time soon. "Zoey listen, I know your strong. You can handle this," he said feeling the wet shirt that not stuck to his chest. "Hey," he pulled her head up so they would be looking into the others eyes. "Promise me that you won't do anything stupid. That you'll keep fighting and that you'll make it to the evac zone. Promise?" Zoey nodded her head slowly tears still running uncontrollably down her cheeks. He brushed them away as best as he could and softly kissed her forehead. "It's time for me to go now."

"No." she sniffed, pulling him closer to her.

"Please, Its time." He pulled her away from him and sat her down on the arm of the couch. She covered her face and began to sob silently to herself. Louis walked over to Bill and they made their way down the short hallway to the bathroom. Neither of them wanted to do this so close to Zoey but it was the safest way to do it. They walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind them. On the wall just above the sink someone had written a message, as if they meant it for this purpose.

"They have no souls, they should be saved. Before they become lost."

Louis turned to face Bill his face filled with sadness but trying to hold onto his nostalgic composure. They stared at one another, the tension beginning to grow until Louis held out his hand.

"I just wanted to say thanks. Thanks for getting us this far." Bill grabbed his hand and pulled him into a hug. Two men who started a journey of survival together, now saying their final goodbyes after the world ended. They patted one another like men do and pulled apart. Sniffing back tears. "You'll uh, keep Zoey safe right?" Louis asked sitting onto the blackened toilet.

"I will. You have my word." Bill promised him, preparing his gun to terminate his friend.

"I loved her ya'know?"

"I do." He raised his gun and pointed it at his friends head, aiming for a spot that would be quick and painless.

"It was nice living with you Bill. See you on the other side." Louis spoke peacefully, like all his worries were about to wash away. No more fear or pain, it would all be over soon. He closed his eyes and welcomed the death he used to fear.

"It's a promise friend."

Zoey still sat on the arm of the couch when she heard the gunshot. She fell to the ground wailing uncontrollably knowing that her dear friend was now gone.

Bill returned from the room and she looked up at him and noticed that he too was crying.

Left alone to deal with Earth's grief,

Trying to take back what was stolen by thieves,

Forgotten strong fight the living dead,

Restoring souls that have been mislead.


	3. Chapter 3

Distraught and Hungry they wander forever,

To Be destroyed by humans endeavor.

"ETA five minutes," echoed the voice from the radio. "Hand on a little longer mercy hospital." Shots rang off the unfinished building scattered randomly upon the roof of the hospital, screams and other horrible sounds reverberated back to the ears of the two terrified survivors. From the distance the howl of a beast was heard.

"HUNTER!" Zoey shouted, she pivoted to the left in the direction of the scream and searched anxiously for its location. Other infected continued to pour, like a never ending stream, from the once empty rooms. Some crawled using all the strength they could in their lifeless bodies while others ran at full force into the walls trying to reach her.

The smell of decomposing flesh and gun powder filled the atmosphere around them making it difficult to keep anything down in their empty stomachs. The hunters cry echoed again over the moans of the infected, Zoey searched every inch of the roof for the hunter when she finally spotted it. It sat still and proud on the top of the crane watching patiently for its chance to pounce. Zoey carefully aimed her hunting rifle toward the hunter making sure she wouldn't miss.

As she stared through the scope looking straight at the hunters hidden face she couldn't help but feel as if it was looking straight back at her. They stayed like that for some time, the noises in the background began to fade and dissolve into static. Someone screamed Zoey's name, yet to her it sounded like a mumble for nothing broke the concentration they had with each other. Zoey gently squeezed the trigger focusing completely one this one shot, the hunter crouched down subtly. She knew that if she didn't move fast enough she would miss this opportunity…

"ZOEY!" Bill screamed and Zoey's bullet fired through the air hitting the target on its shoulder and not on its predetermined location.

"Damn it Bill!" She turned angrily towards him throwing her hunting rifle onto the ground. "You completely made me waist that bullet."

"We have bigger issues than you wasting that bullet! I need help here!" He yelled back at her as he continued to shoot the waves of infected that flowed from the rooms. With a groan Zoey picked up Bill's extra SMG and began to eliminate the oncoming threat.

As the minutes pasted their thoughts of freedom began to dwindle. Infected after infected were eliminated in their attempts to obtain their dinner. Bill reached by his side and grabbed a Molotov and chucked it into the middle of the river of infected, they lit up like stars yet continued to dredge their way to them. They were running out of ammo and they feared help would never come. Although that fear did not come true, across the distance they spotted a bright light flying toward them. As it became closer they could hear the distinct sounds of their salvation.

"We made it Mercy Hospital." Boomed the voice from the helicopter, it began to descend next to them so as they could reach the inside and finally be safe. Bill grabbed Zoey's shaky hand and ran straight for the helicopter. He allowed her to go first pushing her up with the little strength he had left. Once there Zoey turned to grab Bill and pull him onto the chopper with her. They were safe, they were free. They hugged for what seemed like hours allowing everything to disappear. Zoey cried softly in Bill's arms beyond relieved that they were done.

She released him and fell backwards, her body relaxed onto the floor of the helicopter and she closed her eyes in preparation for sleep. She could feel the craft beginning to move inching them further and further away from harm's way. As soon as the feeling of joy entered her heart it was destroyed. A loud grunt sounded in front of her, she looked up and saw Bill. He was coughing blood and around his waist wrapped a long barbed tongue. He looked at her with tears pouring from his eyes knowing that his life was over. She couldn't move, her mind was screaming for her to get up to do anything! She just watched as he was slowly pulled from the chopper. The smokers tongue pulling one way and the chopper the other.

All time stopped for this one singular moment as Bill stared deeply into Zoey's eyes, he spoke with as much strength as he could," Zoey, be strong. Never give…" and then he was gone. The smoker pulled him to his death, and Zoey could do nothing for him. Finally she moved in a fluid motion to the side of the chopper screaming his name over and over. As he dangled on the side of the building being reeled in by the smoker and his hungry onlookers she noticed a shimmering object in his hand. He reached above his head and simultaneously grabbed and cut the smokers tongue. He fell, and never got back up.

"BILL!" Zoey became hysteric. "GO BACK! GO BACK!" She screamed. They continued to move away from the hospital, the swarm of infected fading in the distance. "GO BACK!" she continued to scream through the sound of spinning rotors, yet the pilot had no idea that he had just lost a passenger. The hospital was fading away and Zoey collapsed into tears.

As night falls again she wallows in sorrow,

For again she will face the undead tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

Zoey sat silent at the rear of the helicopter. Her knees lifted up to her chest, stained from the tears that continued to fall from her eyes. The events of the last few weeks echoed in her mind, playing horrible remnants of her dying friends. One by one they left her alone their promise was broken and she felt betrayed.

'We are all going to make it out of this…" Francis's memory spoke to her.

'We are a family.' Louis said, wrapping his arms around the three. Zoey laughed at Francis's attempt to get away. They were a family yet now it was broken and only Zoey was left. She wept into her palms, hating herself for bringing back these pointless memories.

"Only thirty minutes before we land, you'll be safe soon." The pilot spoke through the speakers. To most that would have brought joy but to Zoey it only brought sorrow.

The helicopter began to jerk and lose altitude causing Zoey to snap out of her sadness with straggling tears falling down her face. She shot towards the cockpit and watched the pilot frantically work the controls.

"What's happening?" She sputtered holding onto the chair for support.

"I'm not sure, but we can't keep altitude. I have to land, now." He responded. They began descending into an empty parking lot. Zoey's heart was racing, she knew that all this noise would bring the stragglers to them. Subconsciously she reached for her pistol, tightening her hand around the grip. With extreme commotion they landed filling the pilot and Zoey with fear as the propellers began to slow. He cautiously got out from the cockpit and began to inspect the vehicle while Zoey inspected the general area for the infected.

As Zoey watched him walk to the rear of the helicopter she picked up Bill's SMG and slung it over her shoulder as she stepped out.

"Dammit" hissed the pilot at the back of the chopper. Zoey found him kneeling over a dark pool that dripped from the helicopters interior. It reeked of gasoline and she cringed at the thought of that being true. "This isn't good." He said shaking his head.

"What?"

"Sorry." He stood up, ran his fingers through his chopped hair and replaced the helmet.

"What?" She spoke more forcefully.

"There's no way we can make it to the military outpost."

"What!" Reaching for his collar she shoved him against the side of the unusable helicopter. Holding shakily onto her gun she tried to calm herself. She refused to believe that this was true. "You have got to be kidding me. We can get this thing to fly." Zoey shoved him towards the cockpit unknowingly pointing her gun at his body.

"I just can't…it won't fly…" he sputtered.

"You make it fly! You make it fly now!" She was becoming frantic, her heart was racing and it felt like her lungs refused to take in oxygen.

"There is nothing I can do."

"FIX IT!"

"I can't there is no gas!"

"We need to get out of here!" Their breathing got heavier.

"I can't, we…we are…gonna die."

"NO!" She ran towards him screaming, "It will not end like this! GET IT WORKING!"

Zoey reached for his arm squeezing him tightly and he reacted by grabbing her shoulders.

"THERE IS NO GAS!" He shook her. ". NOT. LEAVE!"

The sudden cry from the infected distracted them from their argument. As if they were hiding behind every car, bush and barrier they swarmed to their location. Like deer running from a pack of wolves they sprinted towards the closets buildings.


	5. Chapter 5

"Well that was fun." The pilot spoke through heaving breaths. The two survivors had made it safely into the motel, barely escaping the horde of infected that blocked their path. Zoey scouted the room searching for any stragglers that might be hiding behind closed doors, while the pilot uncomfortably placed an assortment of objects in front of the main entrance. When finally they were sure nothing would creep from the darkness they began talking about their next course of action.

"We need to get to a safe room." Zoey said, walking towards the door cringing every time one of the infected banged on it.

"Where would one be do you think?" asked the pilot.

"I'm not sure, but there has to be one around here somewhere. Our best chance as of now is to get to the roof." She turned around taking a few steps towards the stares. "Once we get up to the roof we can figure out where a safe room might be. They are usually marked pretty well."

"But won't there be…those things hanging out up there." He began to shake, his voice showing the definite signs of terror.

"If there is anything I've learned about the zombie apocalypse is to always keep running" She said standing next to the stairs. "No matter what" she said more to herself than to the pilot. Cautiously they began their way towards the roof, checking random floors on occasion searching for any useful items. Finally they reached to top of the staircase, when Zoey stopped and looked back at her only other connection with life. "What was your name again?"

"What?" he asked confused

"My name's Zoey." She said offering her hand towards him.

"Oh, uh you can call me David." He returned the gesture.

"Alright David, let's go." With that she pushed the door open and ran across the space that stretched towards the buildings edge. She peered over the edge of the building searching for any sign that would lead them towards the safe room. All she could locate however was a rickety board that connected their building to the western one.

As they approached the plank Zoey aired on the side of caution tossing a large rock she found conveniently placed by the board onto the middle section. It bowed in slightly but other than that held strong. She holstered her gun in the back of her jeans and began the slow shuffle across the beam. It creaked in protest but safely held as she reached the other side.

"Your turn, just even out your weight and you should be fine." She watched David shakily cross the platform, his face contorted with fear and concentration. The board shook against the unsteady movements of the pilot until breaking through the strain. "NO!"

Zoey watched in horror as the board fell the twenty feet from the roof of the building, it landed with a loud smack the pilot's helmet hit not seconds later.

"That was way too close for comfort." David said clinging to the side of the fire escape. He looked down at the ground where the broken plank rested, breathing heavily.

"Shit, I almost had a heart attack." Zoey sighed, her heart beating erratically. David crawled up the flight of stairs until he stood nervously next to Zoey. "Let's keep moving"

They walked towards the other side of the building, searching again for any signs of the safe room's location. As they stood by the edge Zoey heard the distinct sound of crashing walls and breaking glass. She jerked her head towards the sound and saw with great fear a large tank bashing its way towards them. Its ridged body jostled with every heavy step and from its various wounds maggots dropped from their homes inside. It stopped; surveying the area knocking over any infected that got in its way.

"Can we get out of here?" David asked already heading for the door. She nodded in compliance and walked away from the roofs edge. David had already reached the door and was pulling it open when she joined him. They made their way down the flights of stairs, like last time they stopped ever so often to check through the assortment of rooms. They found a medical kit stuffed underneath a bed and a few pill bottles hidden in the toilets, thankfully no one had used them in months. They made it to the bottom floor when Zoey noticed the tank standing directly in front of the glass doors. She grabbed David before he could make it past the registration desk and pulled him to the ground right as the tank looked their way.

Carefully she peered over the counter top and watched as the tank bumped a car, inspecting it with extreme curiosity. It pushed the car forward; walked around to the side the tank lifted it from the ground and let it drop with tremendous force. The car alarm started screaming as it collided with the ground, the tank roared with so much vigor that the windows near it shattered. It bound around the car pushing it around to make the sound stop until finally it smashed the car into oblivion and the alarm diminished. Yet the alarm wasn't silenced fast enough to stop the swarming infected from flocking to the tanks location. They poured from the adjacent buildings and the rooms located on the base floor of the building Zoey currently found themselves in. The infected ran towards the tank irritating it even more causing it to retaliate against the mass of bodies. Zoey turned around placing her back against the registration desk and quietly stared at David his eyes questioning, shaking her head she answered his silent question. His face turned grim as he turned to see for himself the danger they faced. He carefully peeked his head over the counter when his entire body turned white. Not from the sight he was witnessing or the imminent danger they faced but for the face of an infected staring not two inches from his. It tilted its nose smelling David determining if he was food and as it sniffed back and forth David noticed that it was blind for it stared right at him but couldn't see him. It's left side had been completely warn away by time and showed the grotesque shape of its teeth and gums, when it stopped searching it tilted its head and bit towards him trying to sample his flesh.

Jumping back he ran into the wall behind him the force of the impact knocked off the picture frame that loosely hung on its hook. It clattered to the floor making a loud clatter grabbing the attention of all the infected around them. Zoey stared wide eyes at David the fear pulsating through her body, she reached for her pistol by her side and prepared for the worst. The infected screamed for their flesh and began to swarm onto their location.

"RUN!" Zoey shouted racing back towards the stairs David trailing not too far behind. Their footsteps sounded like drums with the combination of the hundreds that followed. As they approached the stairs straggling infected met them instead, so as to avoid them Zoey turned down the nearest hallway and sprinted for the door at the other end. She didn't turn back to see if David followed her for her concentration was solely on the exit sign. "Almost there!" she yelled back hoping David was still behind her, thankfully he replied.

"Well hurry!" Gun fire could be heard from behind as she burst through the door into the alleyway. David followed not far behind and shut the door against the river of infected. Their combined force pushed David back and only with the help of Zoey was he able to keep them at bay. She reached above their heads and grabbed the lock preventing the hoard form following them. Reluctantly they backed away from the door while the infected continued to pound on it, "Over here!" David ran to a dumpster along the eastern wall of the building and began to push with all his might forcing it to budge from its position. Zoey comprehended what he was trying to do and ran to help him.

After placing the beaten dumpster in front of the back door they relaxed slightly. Leaning against the dumpster they were both panting, sweat dripping from their brows. David turned to speak when he stopped, hands reaching for his pistol with slow ridged movements.

"Shit" he said erecting himself from the dumpster. Zoey turned and saw at the entrance to the alley a heavily breathing tank illuminated by the sunlight against its back. Without warning it charged at them smashing the wall directly above their heads with its huge fists. "SHIT!" David shot his pistol at the already pissed off tank and took frantic steps in its opposite direction. Zoey knew they didn't stand a chance so instead of facing defeat she grabbed David's arm and ran full speed down the alleyway. The tank followed with hastened urgency scrapping his burly shoulders against the sides of the buildings. It got caught on a fire escape for a few seconds before ripping the entire thing from its hinges and throwing it at the two survivors who had only seconds to react. They took a sharp left running for their lives over random obstacles and past hazed infected. Eventually they found their way to the street panting and coughing from their excursion yet a flow of relief entered them when they saw spray painted in huge letters on the front of an abandoned building, "Safe Room". They took off towards their salvation not stopping for anything.

Zoey got separated from David when the tank hurled a car in their direction. Diving out of the way the shock of the impact shook the ground causing much confusion to their senses. Yet within seconds Zoey recuperated and with amazing speed ran in the direction of the safe room.

_Please, please, Please! _She thought as she neared the building, its front entrance was completely missing and located directly in front of her was the huge red door that indicated a safe room. She threw herself into it skidding across musty newspapers and magazines and slipped trying to redirect herself before smashing into a table. As she lay there for a few seconds hoping to hear the sound of clanking metal she was sourly upset when it never came. Turning her head she viewed the world upside down and saw through the empty archway David's tiny frame being blocked from sight by the tank. She lifted herself up and ran back outside leaning her weight against the door frame. She slung the SMG off her back and held it tightly in her hands, she didn't want to use it this soon. She aimed at the tank and squeezed the trigger.

David unloaded his pistol in the face of the raging tank, its face blinded with bullet holes yet feeling no pain it continued to swipe at his puny body. He reacted by dodging out of the way to the best of his ability. The tank lifted his hands in readiness to squash its prey when from behind an array of bullets penetrated its body and forced it to stumble. With anger it turned around to see what new threat had awakened and gave David just the right amount of time to remove himself from the ground and head towards safety again. When he was directly next to the tank it swung its arms down and knocked David against a blue Buick. His body convulsed for a few seconds before stopping and sliding towards the ground. Zoey watched in horror as David's body gave way to death, his nose dripping with blood. There was no time to save him and soon the infected would swarm to his body like roaches. The tank no longer attracted to his previous game turned towards Zoey, it raced towards her crushing the bodies of the other infected that saw her as appetite as well.

She turned on her heels and fled back to the safe room slamming the large metal door in place as she shoved random items in front of it to keep the tank at bay. The slamming of the door was immense and the rubble above and around the entrance to her life fell loose to the ground. Yet with a loud cry the pounding stopped and Zoey relaxed against the wall, her legs and arms falling limp and her chest heaving for more air. The pistol that never seemed to run out of ammo lay at her feet and the SMG was lying against the cabinets near the entrance. Her eyes closed as tears of anger and sorrow fell onto her pants. She wept without the strength to wipe her eyes as the realization set in that she was now the only person she knew off that was still alive.

When out of the silence she heard the rustling of heavy metal. She opened her eyes and to her astonishment not five feet in front of her lay a manhole cover. Her heart sank as the heavy lid lifted from its position once, twice, three times. Zoey knew she had to reach her gun but her arms refused to move, with every amount of energy she had left she reached for her pistol and looked up to stare straight into an empty darkness it's lid pushed off to the side.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Zoey's heart raced as she stared into the blackness of the man hole, the dripping sound of water drops echoed tenfold throughout the sewage system and sent chills down her spine as it reached her ears. She was bent awkwardly holding onto the butt of her pistol her body aching yet she dared not stir in fear that whatever had moved the cover would soon appear to her. The definite sound of shuffling escaped the entrance which caused her heart rate to quicken. Suddenly and without warning a head shot up from the darkness, Zoey reacted pointing her gun against the intruder her body straining against the position she held.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" David screamed his eye wide. Zoey paused for a second staring at him trying to fathom that he was actually there. She dropped her gun and hastily pulled him from the emptiness that still contained his body. As soon as he was out she wrapped her arms around him, her body shaking as she silently wept.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry." They stayed like that for a short time listening to the quite repeating of Zoey's words. Finally she released him whipping the tears from her eyes she relieved her cramped muscles and stood. Without uttering a single word the two survivors prepared the room for the night. David replaced the cover to the man hole and slid one of the few mattresses over the top while Zoey examined the SMG and replenished the ammunition with the bullets she found hidden at the back of a drawer. When they were almost finished Zoey looked at David breaking the silence with a question. "How did you get out of there? I thought…I thought you were dead." She traced her fingers over the ridges of the gun avoiding David's gaze.

"Well to be honest I'm not really sure." He responded brushing his dirty hair from his brow, "After the tank hit me everything went dark, I could still hear noises but the world seemed far away. Yet by some miraculous chance I woke up and saw the tank running towards the safe room. I tried to move my body but it turned out to be a lot harder than I thought, my head pounded, my vision was blurry and my sense of direction was all messed up. Yet out of pure instinct I pulled myself under the car and when I placed my hand on the lid of the man hole I knew what to do." David backed up against the wall next to the exit, slumping down to the ground he was quite for a time before continuing, "I'm not sure how I knew where to come out at, but I figured I would head in the general direction of the safe room. It was pitch black down there and I think I stumbled over a few dead bodies," he sniffed his jacket. "In fact I'm positive I did." He began to take off his jacket when a sudden violent fit came over him, his head jerked backwards smacking against the wall, his body going limp. Zoey ran to catch him before he landed on the floor he woke up laying in her arms confused.

"I think you have a concussion." She said leaning him back against the wall, she walked towards the countertop and unzipped the medical kit searching for something useful. She could hear his heavy breathing and it began to make her worry, she wasn't a doctor, she had no idea what to do. She reluctantly returned to him with a few pain killers but when she reached out to give them to him she noticed his hands were clenched into tight fists. "Here, there isn't any water so you're going to have do dry swallow." He complied by parting his mouth enough for her to place them on his tongue. He struggled to get them down but eventually they did, it pained her to see him like this. She felt helpless and it irritated her. "Open your eyes;" she finally said through a sniffle, "you have to stay awake."

David did as he was told, his hands relaxed and he opened his mouth to speak but at first he spoke incoherently which made him peeved. Zoey sat next to him patiently waiting for him to recuperate from his episode. They sat there for some time, listening to the dripping sounds of the sewers beneath them until David spoke.

"He…" He mumbled, "Head hurts." Slowly he lifted his hand and placed it on the back of his head, trying to show Zoey where it hurt.

"I know that medicine I gave you should help soon." She worriedly looked at him, she wanted to move him but she didn't know the state of his condition. As carefully as she could she slid onto her knees and turned his head. David let out a short gasp which caused Zoey to falter. However she kept going determined to examine the injury that she had no idea how to fix. She moved his hand and carefully felt around for the right spot, she found it by noticing a warm liquid on her hands. Her heart dropped as she looked at the blood that rolled down her fingers.

Quickly she whipped the blood on her genes and grabbed David's hand before he touched the injury. Her throat strained as she tried to speak, she looked up in an effort to stop the tears.

"You're," she stopped steading her voice, "You're just fine."

"Hurts." He responded gripping her hand.

"You're ok, just fine. You're just fine." She leaned his head against her shoulder and wrapped her arm around him supporting his weight. "You're just fine."

"C…cold." His body shivered, all she could do was hold tighter until it subsided. "Zoey…" he started, "We gonna help tomorrow?"

"Yes, yes now go to sleep." Zoey's tears began to fall down her face and dropped silently onto the floor.

"I neber wan…want'd this." His breathing became shallow as he continued to speak. "Not a solder. Only knew fly…was recruited. Lost ev'rythng at beginin. John…John…only 3…" His words became unintelligible after that, she could only make out the word John which he repeated like a broken record. She opened her mouth and wailed without sound as to not disturb David. "Sleep." He muttered.

"Sleep." Zoey responded and his mumbling slowly silenced, the blood from his wound warmed her shoulder and began to soak its way down her arm. The next few minutes felt like days as she watched David slip away into a never waking sleep. His breathing slowed, his body grew cold as his head slowly slid off her shoulder. His weight bore down on her as he inevitably passed. She stared at his chest until she noticed it was no longer moving, with hesitation she reached her hand underneath his nose and waited for the release of air that never came. Zoey jostled his body gently determining if he was still alive but there was no response. Her eyes filled with tears she pushed him off of her and rested him onto the ground.

She sat there staring at his body and cried, she screamed in sorrow and anger burying her head into his chest. Her cries filled the room with grief creating a sound that would haunt even the infected. Yet her tears eventually subsided and her voice, now hoarse, went silent. She looked at David's body and brushed the hair from his face when she noticed a small scar across his left brow and began to trace it with her fingers. Zoey then reached down towards the necklace that was around his neck, it wasn't dog tags like she had thought but a simple chain that boar a small trinket. As she turned the trinket in her hand she noticed engraved on one side were the words, "08-14-2006, John Lepton." She unclasped the necklace from David's neck and put it on hers as she stood. Her legs ached from the long period of sitting and she stretched to relieve the pain. She bent down and retrieved his gun its cold handle chilling her hand. She placed it on the counter next to the SMG while she leaned against the countertop. Zoey turned around and walked back over to the mattress taking off her blood soaked jacket she knelt down onto the bed. She felt awful that she was going to sleep after her friend had just died but she didn't have any other choice. As Zoey lay down on the beaten mattress she looked at David's dead body it looked so peaceful and she envied him. She turned over and instantly fell into a deep sleep.

**So Zoey is all alone finally. It took forever to kill off the Pilot but I thought it would be fun for him to take on the role of "Carmine." However I know you are all wondering where the hunter is, have no fear for he shall show is face in the next chapter! Yay for that! Also sorry about the not long chapter, I realized that if I had kept going it would have taken me forever to post and it would have been super long. This way I can introduce the hunter with no cliffhanger, because you know how much I love those. Anyway I hope you enjoyed the chapter and if you cried I did my job ;) Thanks everyone!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Oh my goodness, I apologize for this taking soooo long to upload. School has been kicking my butt and I just haven't had time to work on it. Not to mention incredible writers block, boo. I hope you like this chapter there is a lot of action and it finally introduces the Hunter which is good. It's a little long however so sorry about that. Anyway, happy reading! And again thanks for being so patient and awesome everyone!**

Zoey awoke from another one of her repetitious nightmares, yet instead of all the people she once knew coming back from the dead to feast on her flesh there was nothing. It was an absolute emptiness that consumed her and filled her with the sensation of isolation. It haunted her dreams and followed her through into the waking world.

She turned onto her side and faced the exit where he now dead companion laid. Tears began to flow across her face; dripping quite plops onto the mattress. Her heart felt heavy and her body was numb. With a sudden start she sat up turned away from David's body and threw up onto the floor. She continued until nothing was left and her dry heaving subsided. There was no one around to hear her cries, save for the walking dead outside. Her whole life was gone and its weight bore down onto her at that singular moment.

Eventually she got up from the mattress and headed towards the countertop where her pistol laid waiting for her. With swift movement she grabbed the gun and placed it against her head. Its cold muzzle made the ever present ease of her demise even more gratifying. Zoey relished in the thought of her death, how simple it would be, how painless. Her finger coiled around the trigger slowly closing the gap between life and death. Abruptly, the gun fell from her grasp and clattered to the floor with an audible crash.

Her whole body was shaking, she couldn't do it. She couldn't end her life, why she had no idea but for some god forsaken reason she couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger its entire length. She had promised herself it the time came she would do it and she didn't. It wasn't that Zoey feared death; it was more that she feared the disappointment of the efforts from everyone that had died to save her. Their ultimate sacrifice and how she was so willing to throw it all away in one second.

Zoey stared long and hard at David's lifeless body as she held onto the necklace around her neck. She thought about all the people that had died at the beginning of the outbreak and how they never had the chance to fight back. Her tears had diminished and her resolve was refreshed, damn-it if she was offered the position of revenge she wasn't about to give it up now.

Zoey gathered everything she could, a backpack stashed at the back of a cabinet made perfect use for storage. She packed all the ammo she could find, a few water bottles, a stale bag of chips and first aid. Followed that with the three weapons she acquired and holstered them against her body. She gave one final sweep to the room before heading towards the exit and as respectfully as she could, removing David from the door. Unhinging the barricade Zoey opened the door and took her first few steps outside.

She made her way down the street while checking buildings for food, water, ammunition and other useful items. Her fearless determination to continue moving drove her through the city, with crumbling buildings toppling onto the abandoned cars and rotting dead bodies. The remnants of fires scorched the ground and crawled up the sides of adjacent buildings like obsidian waves. She rounded a corner and noticed that the street was eerily empty. A wet plastic bag blew across the road in front of her tumbling quietly on its way. She removed her gun from her back and continuing down the street with caution.

Unexpectedly she stopped, her face paled and she shifted her gaze in the direction of an open doorway. Inside the archway sat a sobbing bone thin creature its body swaying with a covered face. Zoey slowly began moving backwards away from the Witch but stumbled off the curb and into a damaged car. Its body creaked on impact, toppling in on itself before coming to a deafening stop. She cringed against the sound and nervously opened her eyes to see the once sitting Witch was now fully erect, perfectly quiet and staring right at her.

Bolting behind the car Zoey took off down the street with the Witch in hot pursuit. Ducking into the nearest alley Zoey tried to lose the Witch in the maze like structure of the city. She ran deeper into the confines of the bleak alleyways until finding herself at the mercy of a dead end. Breathing heavily she looked everywhere for an escape but there was none, the Witch was rounding the corner on her location and there was no stopping it. The Witch came sprinting at her with arms outstretched and just when Zoey thought her life was about to end a ray of hope appeared. A giant muscular ray of hope, a tank burst through the wall to her left smacking the Witch directly in the chest and sending it flying. She dodged the tanks massive body and maneuvered herself behind it as it tore apart the alleyway. As quickly as she could she disappeared into the opening the tank burst through and continued running for her life in the opposite way of destruction. As she passed through the void and into the light she found herself standing the middle of infection central. It was the calm before the storm, nothing moved and then everything did.

Her lungs burned with every breath while she sprinted up the steps away from the flood of infected. Her heart was pounding with adrenalin sending hot blood throughout her body. Zoey turned sharply, losing her footing and falling face first on the steps. She smacked her head against the stone steps cutting her lip and making her head to spin. Zoey's mind was clouded with the screams of her dying friends coming back to feast on her sanity. It felt as if the images were under a thick liquid, all sound and movement was heavy and sluggish almost like they were under water.

"Run." Screamed the harmonious voices, "Run, run!"

Her mind cleared allowing her to hear screams from below. She crawled up the stairs disoriented but forcing the movements to occur. She used the hand railing to pull her body upward away from the thundering horde. The groans grew louder, as if they were below and then behind her. With shaky eyes she leaned over the railing looking at the lower levels with horror. A river of infected were driving up stream towards her. Her heart raced compelling the adrenalin through her veins again, moving her legs faster and faster. Zoey reached the last door which read _Roof Access _and eagerly rushed outside.

The light blinded her causing her to squint and turn away from the sun, back down the stairwell. As the infected rounded the final flight of stairs Zoey closed the door pulling the first thing in she found in front of it. Turning around to find something else to slow them down she spotted a chain to her right. Quickly she closed the gap between her and the chain sliding on the gravel while backtracking towards the door. She wrapped the chain tightly around the handle and a fixture jutting from beside it. The door snapped open at her with a forceful bang triggering Zoey to jump back.

Breathing heavily she stared at the door way waiting for the infected to push their way through. As the minutes past her anticipation rose causing her breathing to become more erratic, the sounds from inside the stairwell were almost as loud as the one behind her. Behind her?

Her heart skipped a beat as she slowly turned around to see a tall gangly creature at the edge of the roof. Its body oozed dark smoke and its tongue lapped about its face, she faced the Smoker slowly and positioned the gun at its head. Just as she was about to pull the trigger the Smoker beat her to the chance. It tongue shot towards her wrapping itself around her leg and pulling her to the ground. The gun escaped her grip as she clawed for something to grab onto. Within inches from the Smokers grasp she flipped onto her back lifting her legs hitting the Smoker directly in the chest. It faltered for a second trying to regain its balance allowing Zoey the opportunity to kick at it a second time forcing it off the rooftop and over the ledge. Unfortunately for her however its tongue was still tightly wrapped around her leg, the Smoker's dead weight pulled her further to the ledge cutting off her circulation in the process. Pain shot through her stimulating a scream, she needed to get the thing off of her leg before it drug her to its doom. Frantically she searched for something to use seeing as her gun was too far away when her hand discovered a large rock. With excruciating swings she smashed the rock against the smoker's tongue ripping away at the muscle till it finally snapped.

The weight was gone instantly and a rewarding thud was heard below her, she breathed a sigh of relief and ripped the tongue from her leg. She fell onto her back breathing deeply, feeling her body sink into the ground becoming relaxed. Her reprieve however was taken immediately as the horde of infected began to push their way through the door. She rolled onto her stomach watching as the door burst open and let loose a torrent of infected. Zoey reacted quickly, running across the roof top searching for a way to escape. When she reached the edge of the roof she peered over its side. It continued but did so with an eight foot drop. Looking behind her she saw the infected closing in on her and did the only thing she could think of, jump.

Zoey landed onto the roof feet first twisting her already bruised ankle on contact. Pain shot up her leg making her light headed but she kept moving. Dragging herself away from the adjacent building she could hear the sickening thuds of bodies hitting concrete. She didn't turn to look however for her sights were set on a particular section of the roof. An open metal latch poked upwards towards the sky revealing a dark narrow hole in its wake. Zoey picked herself off from the ground only feet away from the opening clearly hearing the frantic scramble behind her. She reached the hatchway and hastily lowered herself into its depth closing the lid and locking it tightly. The infected were on her location within seconds but unable to claim their meal.

She was standing on a ladder holding onto the bars for dear life as she descended into the unknown. Once onto the floor she found herself in a small and almost empty room. In the corner lay a beaten mattress with a few tattered blankets thrown across its face. The walls were mostly bear with a lonely window covered in blood. Broken glass lay strewn on the floor beneath the shattered window, plastered with bloody handprints that disappeared just before the mattress. Zoey noticed a door across from her and headed towards it. She tried to open it but it was sealed tightly, she pushed against it trying to break through but without luck. Examining the door she found tiny holes and nails poking their way through along with long scratches, tracing her hand over the streaks she deciphered that they were instead claw marks.

Still facing the door a gentle crack sounded behind her followed by a deep long rumble, her heart began to pound in her ears drowning out all other sounds. Slowly she turned only to find herself facing the crouching figure of a Hunter.

They stayed in tense confrontation, neither moving a muscle. But when Zoey finally decided to move by reaching behind her to grab her gun the hunter sank closer to the ground, growling threateningly. She hesitated for only a second and the Hunter launched itself at her and she reacted with a pull of the trigger. Her bullet missed its target allowing the Hunter to collide with her body ripping the gun from her hand. They landed on the bed forcing the mattress upwards to the celling. The Hunter scrambled to pin her down while Zoey held its wrists and bringing her legs to her chest to keep it from clawing at her torso.

The Hunter's brute strength overwhelmed her in her weakened state causing her arms to give way under the pressure, tears poured from her eyes at the realization that she was about to die. She was heartbroken to think that this was the end, after everything she just went through, this was how she would die. She closed her eyes as the Hunter leaned closer towards her face feeling his hot decomposing breath on the nape of her neck. It was savoring this moment, taking its time to kill her. She prayed for a quick death when her body was suddenly thrust backwards even further into the wall. The weight of the hunter vanished followed by excruciating screams and howls. Zoey snapped her eyes open and saw with astonishment as one Hunter was not replaced by two. The impact of the second hunter had caused Zoey's head to slam against the wall making her already fuzzy world even more so. The two bodies were more like black blobs hoping back and forth within the room each struggling for dominance.

Her body was heavy and it took most of her strength to even keep her eyes open to watch the strange scene in front of her. They were tearing one another apart, like two wolves fighting over the same scrap of meat. They crashed against the walls creating large body sized indentions and carving the floor with deep scratches from their searching claws. Through her blurry vision she could tell that one was bigger than the other and most definitely stronger, for its muscle mass was bursting through its clothes. The fight seemed to last hours to Zoey as her world began to fade in and out, slowing down through sheets of thick blackness. Her head dropped onto the mattress, making her eyes come in contact with a shiny metal object. A clear thought flashed in her mind, fading away as quickly as it came. She turned her attention away from the object to see that the larger hunter was now positioned onto of the other and about to take its victory blow. With the final ounces of strength she had in her body Zoey grabbed the pistol and fired.

**Woo. I'll be working on the next installment soon, the next one wont take as long as this one...I hope. Thanks again for reading! :}**


	8. Chapter 8

**Oh. My. Goodness. I am sorry this took so long! I hope that you all like it : I'm nervous about this chapter, I hope because I took so long I didn't lose my mojo...jojo! haha. Anyway hope you like it and thanks for sticking around! I love you all!**

Zoey stood in a vast field of billowing yellow grass. It lapped at her feet and legs like gentle waves moving with the wind that tossed her hair about. She peered upward and noticed the sky was an empty blue and yet she could feel the warmth of the sun which seem absent for the skies clarity.

It was serene how quiet and empty everything seemed, the field limitless in every direction leaving her perfectly, happily alone. She tried to speak, to call out for life but her voice made no sound. This didn't frighten her as she would have thought instead it seemed to strengthen her calm as she began to walk forward. She ran her hands over the grass letting its soft touch tickle her fingers.

Zoey soon came upon a clearing, she stared down at her feet and noticed she was standing on the sky. The clear shimmering earth moved beneath her like water. Yet as she reached down to examine the surface she found it to be solid and smooth. Zoey poked the exterior and from the epicenter ripples moved outward and grew exponentially, continuing its motion across the field of grass.

The wind stopped the sky began to darken and from the distance eerie howls echoed around her. Zoey tried to turn and run but was unsuccessful; the substance she found herself in was crawling up her legs holding her there. Zoey wrenched at the metallic liquid as the moans came closer. She searched the field for the danger and saw nothing but the vast sea of still yellow grass. The sound grew louder and louder as if towering over her, surrounding her and yet there was still nothing. As suddenly as it came everything snapped back to normal. The wind blew, the sky became clear and blue once again and the metallic water settled about her feet, the calm before the storm.

The ground vanished beneath her stretching its dark claws over the landscape until there was only blackness. She fell uncontrollably towards the unknown bottom, looking below her bloodied hands began to appear from the darkness. The moans soon followed and the few arms turned into hundreds reaching up towards her. Zoey plummeted into their ravaging grasps, their screams combining into one controlling her mind with their intensity.

Zoey shot upward screaming and thrashing about, her heart felt as if it might explode and her body was drenched in sweat. The remnants of her nightmare clung to her as she tried to shake off the hands that grabbed her. It was then that she noticed a dark figure lurking in the corner of the room. Zoey looked into its haunting eyes and was startled by what she saw, or thought she saw. Just then the Hunter began to stalk its way towards her, she looked around for her pistol but to no avail. Backing up against the wall in the last hopes to protect herself it stopped at the end of the mattress and just looked at her. Her breathing quickened as she stared at her demise, this was it she thought closing her eyes.

It made its signature cry and Zoey waited for death to come. Yet when nothing happened her confusion left her curious and she opened her eyes finding an empty room. Sitting there dumb founded she didn't quite know what to do, peering the room over again and again but finding nothing didn't calm her damaged nerves. After what seemed like hours passed Zoey decided to move. The first thing that needed attention was her leg; slowly she pulled up the pant leg and was devastated to see it was much worse than the previous day. It was swollen with an array of painful colors, she knew there was no way for her to walk on it but she wasn't going to give up without trying.

Using the corner as leverage she hoisted herself off of the mattress and keeping little pressure on her injured leg she stood as straight as she could. Carefully making her way towards the ladder, still using the wall as support, she retrieved her backpack before beginning the agonizing climb upwards. Only a few rings up she lost her footing instinctually using her injured leg to catch her fall which shot pain throughout her body. She screamed until her body hit the floor and even then she continued to do so.

It took time for the pain to ease and her body to relax, even after the fact she opted not to move. The fear of that pain returning was much stronger than anything at that moment. However she knew that if she left her leg alone it wouldn't get any better, but she wasn't a doctor. After thinking about how to proceed and try to salvage the situation she remembered a scene from one the TV shows she used to watch.

_They splinted the leg and wrapped it tightly with something_, Zoey recalled.

Looking for something she could use as a splint she noticed that the bottom ring of the ladder was coming loose so she used her strength to pry it from its position. After getting it loose she tore apart the tattered blanket and made uneven strips to secure the pole to her leg. The entire process took about thirty minutes, maybe more because of all the stops due to the pain but eventually it was finished and didn't look half bad.

Once Zoey knew that the ladder was out, at least for now, she tried to find another way. When she remembered the window. She knew she was on the top floor, but maybe it wasn't as tall a building as she originally thought. Slowly she crawled away from the wall, careful not to bang her injured leg on the floor. Peering over the edge it was apparent that this would not be the way out. Below her was a 50 foot drop and a street covered with infected. Vertigo threatened her stomach and she had to back away before emptying her already bare stomach.

_If only I had some… _she thought before remembering her backpack! Her backpack was filled with food from the last safe house. Ripping it off of her back she spilled its contents all over the floor reaching for a package of crackers she began to gorge herself, forcing it to stay down with large gulps from one of the water bottles.

Zoey tried not to eat her entire storage of food in one sitting so instead she made small portioned meals out of the rest of the food which if she was careful would last her about two weeks. She knew she was safe here, none of the infected could get at her from this high and with the roof access cut off and the door barricaded in she felt comfortable here, at least for the time being. The only problem would be if that Hunter decided to come back.

It was getting dark outside, Zoey needed to rest to regain her strength and to get a reprieve from the pain in her leg. She made her way to the mattress, covered up with the rest of the blanket and fell to sleep.

_Not right. Shouldn't be here. _Dark images flashed about this damaged mind. Images of death and abandonment, being cursed to a life that wasn't fair. _Why. Saved, but why? _ A hunched body perched like a gargoyle overlooking the disgraceful filth that littered the streets. Torn clothes, bare feet and a face shrouded in darkness. _Left me to die. Alone, angry, afraid. Like you. _ Clawed hands reached up to cover black eyes. _ Same, Protect us. _ A signature cry echoed off the buildings and disappeared into the shadows.


	9. Chapter 9

**I say this every time but I'm really going to try and finish this story gosh darn it! The motivation to finally work on this came from Ceysna. So thank you, I didn't know people were still interested in this story. I will try to post at the latest once a week (now that school is out). I will do this! Hazaa!**

Zoey awoke to her stomach growling but as she searched through her stock of food she was disheartened by what she saw. The food supply was almost gone, only a few parcels were left. Her leg while better it was still too weak to support herself. As the hours crawled by the emptiness in her stomach became stronger, she tried to sleep through it but was more than naught unsuccessful. Due to her exhaustion and pain her sleep was uncomfortable and always interrupted by recurring nightmares. It was beginning to wear on her body, confusing her mind as to what was real and what was not. She found herself gnawing on her fingers thinking they were food or talking to the creatures that melted from the walls. Zoey tried to save the little amount of food she had left, but her inexhaustible hunger caused her to cave. That was yesterday. Today she sat with legs dangling from the windowsill debating about climbing her way down to the ground below. Why it never seemed to occur to her to climb back to the roof of the building or even try to break through the door she wouldn't understand until later. Her mind had begun to slip a long time ago and this just seemed to be the fastest way to be outside.

"Don't let go" Zoey heard from below, the soft sobs drifting up to her. At first she ignored the voice and instead listened to the music that drifted on the wind. The brisk air froze the sweat that dripped from her face; the wind blew her dirty hair, on her legs she could feel drops of warm water. Glancing to the sky there were no clouds, another drop. Zoey brushed her cheek and found it was damp. She was crying, apparently her body was so accustomed to crying it accomplished the task on its own. "Don't" the voice said again. Looking down she saw a few straggling infected and knew that she could get across the road if she made her way down. The ledges weren't too far apart and the building wasn't all that high, if she could just get down a story or two she wouldn't have a problem reaching the street. She didn't really have a choice anymore, she hadn't had a supportable amount of food in days, her water supply was running dangerously low and she needed something to stop the pain. So she set on doing the only thing necessary, getting out of that building. Crawling back to the mattress she grabbed her backpack and after shoving in the blanket she threw it over her shoulder and returned to her perch. She thought it best to go at it facing forward which didn't work out because she couldn't get her footing on the ledge below. Her body began to fall forward as she frantically tried to grasp at anything, the fall wouldn't be the thing to kill her. It would be the infected. There wasn't anything she could do; her weakness and lack of sustenance had led her to her death. The wind rushed past her face cooling the tears that left her eyes, the fear that filled her body blocked out all other emotions. It was only when she seemed inches from hitting the pavement that she accepted it. She had wanted to die and now it would happen. A crushing pain spread through her body; she heard the sound of the infected making their way towards her before she passed out.

The hunter breathed deeply as he watched her sleep. This wasn't the first time he sat in the corner by the window and watched intently on the woman sleeping in his room, where once he laid his head and dreamed. He didn't understand why he sat ever so quietly in that corner, why he didn't give into the urge to tear her body apart. How it would feel with her blood dripping down his arms, her flesh moving over his claws as he ripped out her insides, the relief that would excite his being and stop the itch crawling through him. She let out a tiny whimper; he wondered if they dreamed the same.

Stalking closer to her he noticed her eyes moving rapidly back and forth. He perched next to the bed like a cat, watching, his dark eyes passing over her face. She had a gash along her hair line the blood started to dry in her hair, against her skin. The smell of blood excited him so he backed away stepping on a piece of glass in the process. This awoke the sleeping woman but only just.

Her eyes were distant and cloudy as she glanced around the room. Her head slumped to the side, her eyes soon found his in the morning light. The hunter went ridged. The two stayed like that for some time, just staring at the one other until the sleep took her again.

Zoey's body felt heavy as she lifted herself off the mattress.

"What happened?" She asked out loud knowing full well no one would answer. She vaguely remembered being outside, the feeling of falling, the feeling of hitting the ground. That's right she tried to climb out of the window but fell which meant that the infected would be on her at any minute. Frantically she clawed at her back to get at her gun but her backpack was gone. Zoey searched with her hands feeling around her for anything to save herself from the incoming infected. Her right hand collided with a large sack. Cautiously she looked inside and found it was filled with water, uncooked noodles, some loafs of mostly edible bread, about ten mixed canned goods, potato chips and even premade cookies. Snatching the bag before it could disappear she ate an entire loaf of bread - picking around the molded parts - and drank a whole bottle of water. The lack of food mixed with the gorging of it would come back to bite her. For right now though she felt almost like herself again. It was only now that she came to the realization that she wasn't outside anymore but back in the room and after looking around with less urgency she found her backpack resting along the wall.

Zoey examined her leg and was encouraged by what she saw. The swelling had gone down making it look almost normal again. After transferring all of the food from the sack and into her backpack she began to feel the shift in her stomach. At first it was a dull ache but it grew the more she walked around. It was her determination to find a way out, that wasn't the window this time, which kept her on her feet. She thought about climbing back to the roof but due to her last try some of the rungs were either off completely or about to be and while her leg felt better she didn't want to chance it. So instead she looked at the door. The doorknob was completely torn up as if something scratched it off, she tried to use her weight to push open the door but it wouldn't budge. Something had to be blocking it on the other side which meant that this wasn't a way out either. She would either have to brave the ladder or try the window again. For now though she decided to rest, let her body absorb the food and settle before trying anything new.

When she woke again it was around noon, the sun was high in the sky with no clouds to block its rays. Zoey stretched; rubbing the sleep from her eyes when she spotted the dark figure in the corner. She froze with her arms in the air. The Hunter's head slowly lifted to meet hers as it sat there crouching in the shadows. Carefully it began to walk close to her causing her heart to pound. Where was her gun, she thought, in her bag which was far, far away from her.

The Hunter was so close to her that she felt its hot breath against her skin; while Zoey had managed to back herself into a corner, literally. 'Maybe if I could reach around and grab its head…' as she thought this her arms began to prepare for the attack but the Hunter growled like he knew what she might do. Slowly it pulled away the covers from her body, the fabric sliding across her legs. It lowered its head towards her stomach pushing her shirt around as it smelled her skin. Its lips, which were uncomfortably soft, brushed her exposed skin raising bumps on her arms. The Hunter lifted its head forcing them to be face to face. It was then that she finally saw the face behind the shadow. It was then that she knew…

As she looked into the Hunter's dark eyes, which were normally hidden under its signature hood. Though she was not prepared for what its secrets held; in fact she couldn't believe it. While her mind kept its guard up her body had a different reaction. Her arm – of its own accord – reached out towards the Hunter. Within a second he leapt away from her and out of the window. Zoey's arm still extended, reaching now at nothing. She could feel tears beginning to gather around her eyes but she lacked the will to stop them. Everything was coming back to her, the death of Francis, Luis, Bill and David. She just couldn't believe that they were all back, she wouldn't believe it.


End file.
